Duke Energy Funds Electric Bus Charging for City of Asheville

A $200,000 grant from Duke Energy will help Asheville Redefines Transit (ART) in North Carolina fund five electric bus charging stations that were installed by the city earlier this year.

ART currently operates 17 vehicles in its peak fleet and serves primarily the City of Asheville, with some service that extends to Black Mountain. The Duke Energy funding was part of a 2015 settlement with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and environmental groups.

“Asheville is making great strides to add electric buses to its fleet,” says Lang Reynolds, director of electrification strategy for Duke Energy. “Charging infrastructure is a critical component of this effort, and Duke Energy is pleased our grant can assist.”

“The City of Asheville is extremely grateful to Duke Energy to receive funding from its electric charging grant program. This funding is key to helping us run electric buses as part of our overall fleet and help us meet our sustainability goals,” adds Jessica Morriss, assistant director of transportation for the City of Asheville.

The legacy grant funding is separate from Duke Energy’s $76 million electric transportation pilot being considered now by the North Carollina Utilities Commission. The current proposal, which builds upon lessons learned during the earlier program, will expand municipal and school bus charging infrastructure, as well as residential and public charging for passenger vehicles.